The OPCW works to eliminate chemical weapons stockpiles, to ensure the nonproliferation of existing stockpiles, to assist states in protecting themselves against chemical weapons attacks, and to promote international cooperation in the use of chemistry for peaceful purposes. The OPCW is authorized to perform inspections to verify that signatory states are complying with the convention, which includes a commitment to grant inspectors full access to chemical weapons sites and a common pledge to destroy all stocks of chemical weapons. The OPCW also performs testing of sites and victims of suspected chemical weapons attacks. By the 2001 Relationship Agreement between the OPCW and the United Nations, the OPCW reports on its inspections and other activities to the UN through the office of the secretary-general.

During the two decades after its founding, the OPCW conducted several thousand inspections around the world. The activities of the OPCW are conducted by three main bodies: the Executive Council, which administers the daily activities of the OPCW; the Technical Secretariat, which is charged with verifying states’ compliance with the convention; and the Conference of the States Parties, which is the highest decision-making body of the organization.

In 2013 the OPCW was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for “its extensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons.” The Nobel Committee also lauded the OPCW and the treaty it enforces for having made the use of chemical weapons “taboo under international law.” The announcement of the prize came in the context of the OPCW’s direct involvement in the inspection and planned destruction of chemical weapons stockpiles in Syria following the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government in that country’s civil war.

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Although most states have joined the CWC, some member states may still cheat and deploy a clandestine chemical weapons program. Inspectors from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW; the body that administers the CWC) number only in the hundreds, whereas the estimated number of chemical plants that might be inspected exceed many thousands. Therefore, only a small...

The CWC is administered by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), headquartered at The Hague. Day-to-day affairs are conducted by the OPCW’s Executive Council, which reports to the CWC’s Conference of States Parties. This latter body in turn has responsibility for taking “the necessary measures to ensure compliance” and for administering penalties against...

institution drawing membership from at least three states, having activities in several states, and whose members are held together by a formal agreement. The Union of International Associations, a coordinating body, differentiates between the more than 250 international governmental organizations...

External Links

Official Site of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical WeaponsIntroduction to this U.K.-based organisation and presentation of the complete text of this convention. Covers history, implementation and mandates of this convention and provides information on toxic chemicals and protective strategies for signatory countries. Also includes calendar of events and online version of the OPCW journal.